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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · kid · squash · chip · dip · root · pound · bound

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bound — certain
  7. root — the cause
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — child
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. squash — to crush
  17. last — finally
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. root — of a word
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com